Turning down a cock or two

With less than a week left in the job, Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. president John K.C. Ng has come up with his ideas on what it takes to be a leader. The, uh, lecture came out in a Binondo-based newspaper.

By the way, Johnny Ng was given a party by federation executive president (and only candidate for president) Robin Sy to celebrate his appointment as presidential envoy on Chinese affairs.

Since he will represent President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the Philippine trade fair which will be held in Shanghai at the end of the month, Mr. Ng will outrank (in terms of protocol, that is) fellow-attendees, Trade Secretary Manuel Roxas II and congressional committee chairman on trade Rep. Harry Angping.

Mr. Angping has indicated that he is not interested in serving this year and the next in the federation’s 226-man Council of Representatives, from which the 39-member Board of Directors will be chosen. It is the board which elects the officers, which (for lack of any choice) will be headed for the next two years by Mr. Sy.

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Did you know 1: So, this senator’s request to import cocks (the fighting ones, silly) was turned down.

Now, he’s asking fighting mad and has asked Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. for the head of the man who has been doing his job.

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Did you know 2: The Food Nutrition Research Institute has come up with "cheese-curls" – and "chippy" – like snack foods for mung beans or mongo and soybeans.

Retailed at P1 a pack, the protein-rich snack foods are currently being sold in public schools in Benguet, Sorsogon, and Zamboanga.

Of the P1/pack, production accounts for 40 percent and packaging accounts for the balance 60 percent. A child eating three packs of these – that’s P3 a day or less than the price of one commercially produced pack available in Metro Manila – would have already gotten his protein requirement for the day.

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Bankers are closely watching how Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. is handling the peso. Cy Tetangco is officer-in-charge this time around while Governor Rafael Buenaventura is on sick leave that should last between two weeks and a month.

Mr. Tetangco is the youngest among the three deputy governors and, therefore, the one with the best chance of becoming governor. (Competence is a given.)

All he needs now is a padrino close to the next President of the Philippines who will be elected in 2004. The six-year term of Paeng Buenaventura ends in mid-2005.